Viola Davis rejects Target’s apology over Halloween costume backlash

Actress Viola Davis has rejected Target’s apology for pulling a children’s Halloween costume that critics said resembled blackface and minstrel-era caricatures, escalating a controversy that has also weighed on the retailer’s stock price.

Target apologized this week and removed the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit,” a $25 item sold through its Hyde and EEK! Boutique line, after screenshots of the product and its promotional imagery circulated widely on social media. Critics said the costume’s dark face covering and exaggerated features evoked 19th-century minstrel-show depictions of Black Americans.

“As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry,” Target spokesperson Brian Harper-Tibaldo said in a statement to Fox Business. “The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale.” The company added that it was “especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners” and said it was reviewing how the item made it to market.

Ms. Davis was not satisfied. In an Instagram post Tuesday, the Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress wrote that she did not accept the apology, arguing that Target failed to grasp the depth of the harm. “These images laid the foundation and the ideology for every atrocity that has been committed against my people,” she wrote, adding, “You have shown us that you are not on OUR side.”

Georgia pastor Rev. Jamal Bryant, who led a 40-day boycott of Target last year over the company’s retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion commitments, also criticized the retailer’s response, calling the costume “a profoundly harmful symbol of racism” rather than a simple mistake.

The controversy is the latest reputational setback for Target, which has spent roughly two years navigating politically charged disputes — from its 2023 Pride Month merchandise to its subsequent rollback of DEI initiatives — that have drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Target shares fell 3.8% Tuesday, as the costume controversy gained attention, after closing at a 52-week high of $169.89 the previous day. The stock subsequently recovered some of those losses, closing at $164.04 Wednesday. Target has otherwise been posting stronger sales under new CEO Michael Fiddelke.

Target has not said what disciplinary or process changes, if any, will result from its internal review.